Black Sabbath – Masters of Reality

What is this that stands before me? 

I remember the days when Black Sabbath were widely scoffed at and dismissed, not just in pop culture, but even in some corners of the Heavy Metal scene. “Ozzy Is so crazy.” “That’s just noise.” “What is ‘Snowblind’ about, anyway?” “Did they really sell their souls for Rock n’ Roll?” “Not heavy enough.” “How many singers have they had now?” After 1980, Sabbath endured more unfair “hasn’t been good since the 70s” complainers than SNL. 

But Sabbath would never say die, and as time has worn on, pop culture has caught up with the faithful in appreciating their majesty. It took decades, but the larger music world has finally recognized what we’ve known all song: Black Sabbath are as historically important, influential, and as worthy of esteem as the other acclaimed Rock n’ Roll gods: Led Zeppelin, The Who, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Hendrix, Dylan, et al. 

Tony Iommi is widely revered as the Master of the Riff AND as the progenitor of the end-of-man-and-time fuzzy guitar tone – – but he also needs to be acknowledged as a God-tier songwriter, able to craft beautiful passages, elegant guitar solos, and epic compositions. 

Bill Ward’s innovations behind the drumkit are severely underappreciated; he brought so much sophistication, groove, funk, and fire to Tony’s songs.

Geezer Butler is Bassically one of the greatest ever on the 4-strings – – his groove and style were the perfect complement to Tony’s playing. But as the principle lyricist of the early days, his subversive wordplay also brought us so many unforgettable song titles and words. 

And of course, Ozzy Osbourne’s titanium-edged voice became the clarion call of the Heavy Metal subculture. His pipes and wildman personality became iconic across multiple generations. Every Gen-X kid knew someone with O Z Z Y tattooed on their knuckles. 

So it warmed my black heart to see such a vast community of fans, friends, and supernaut superstars come together on July 5th 2025 in Birmingham, England to honor Black Sabbath and their legacy. I’m jealous of and happy for all who got to attend and participate – – and I’m glad we did this while the founding four* are alive to appreciate it and be a part of it.** Tomorrow’s dream has become reality. 

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Jack Mangan is best known in the Metal world as lead author/project runner for the “Am I Evil?” graphic novel, as a journalist with MetalAsylum.net and the official Metal Hall of Fame. and also as co-host of the popular (sporadic these days) Metal Hall of Fame and MetalAsylum.net livestreams with Rich Catino. He’s made a few guest appearances as a panelist on The Metal Voice. In an adjacent life, he was a podcast pioneer, with numerous appearances on Technorama, Dragon Page, Escape Pod/Pseudopod, and many others, including his own productions: Jack Mangan’s Deadpan, and the Podcast novel, “Spherical Tomi.” Friend him on Facebook if you can find him, but be warned: he’s not great about checking Facebook Messenger.

*Black Sabbath’s history is far more than Iommi, Ward, Butler, and Osbourne. They’ll always be the core four, but numerous all-stars have also played alongside Tony under the Black Sabbath moniker, on record and in touring roles. We salute everyone who’s contributed to the legacy.  Forever with them ‘til the end of time. 

**I hope the other Metal Gods out there are paying attention.